An Andrea Brocca original

Dubai-based teenager Andrea Brocca is not old enough to enter a nightclub or drive a car, but his achievements already outrank many people older than him.

The Italian-born 15-year-old from Dubai's Jumeirah College has already achieved fashion nirvana, and how. After a fruitful month-long internship with British fashion mogul Alice Temperley — who dressed Kate Middleton's sister Pippa for the royal wedding reception — last July in London, Brocca's kaftan designs, known as the Andrea dress, were stocked at all Temperley London boutiques as well as the one at The Dubai Mall.

"I did real fashion stuff during my internship. It was intense and I was surprised because in fashion I have heard that most interns are made to do stuff like bring water to the people. But interning with Alice Temperley was different. She is not snobby in any way — very down-to-earth, if you know what I mean," said Brocca, diving for his computer to show me a blurred picture taken last summer of Temperley and him smiling for the camera.

His admiration is not one-sided. Temperley told tabloid! in an e-mail that she was equally impressed with the fashion prodigy.

"I met Andrea when he was only 13 at a glamorous fashion party around a pool in Dubai a few years ago. I was touched by his enthusiasm for fashion. He had a sketch book with him that he wanted to show me. We looked at it together and talked through some of his sketches.

"I could see his focus and love of fashion so I naturally obliged when he asked for an internship," said Tempereley, designer to stars including Demi Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker and Heidi Klum.

‘I never believed in myself'

She may have obliged, but for the home-grown fashion prodigy her nod meant a token of acceptance. "When she said she liked my kaftan designs, I thought to myself: ‘How can you be impressed by me?' Till then, I never believed in myself," said Brocca.

As of today, he has sold over 90 pieces in emerald and red, although he didn't receive any money. No small feat, especially since the lanky 6-foot-something prodigy had no clue where to begin.

"One day, I was told to design around 30 kaftans, and frankly I hardly even knew what that was. So first, I got down to researching everything about a kaftan — which I thought was a bit random — and after that I decided I didn't want to do the classic kaftan. You can't always go by the rules."

His personal style

Like every teenage rebel, Brocca oscillates between super-confidence and diffidence. On one hand he was seeking reassurance about whether he was doing well during our chat — this being his first interview — and on the other he was defending his zany style of dressing for all he's worth.

"When I walk down the mall, people give me stares and make fun of me. I experiment and I don't care if they diss me. At least I have the courage to wear what I want to and I am not going to let anyone come in my way," said Brocca with uncharacteristic aggression.

The day we met him, he was in an over-sized vintage leather jacket (borrowed from his father, part of his extensive jacket collection), coupled with torn black denims, a striped TopShop T-shirt with tassels and Doc Marten boots. To put it mildly, Brocca's ensemble is likely to stand out from the rest of Dubai's mall-trawlers. He may invite stares from the fashion conservatives in Dubai, but style honcho Temperley is sold on his personal look.

"He [Brocca] is very up to date with what is happening with fashion around the world and spends a lot of time absorbing everything around him. What surprised me was his focus and drive. Not many people are lucky enough to find a passion so early on in life," said Temperley.

Finding your passion early in life comes with its own set of baggage, however, or so feels Brocca. For him, his age often stands in the way of him being taken seriously. "When I speak to people about fashion or send my portfolio and sketches across, I am immediately turned down because they think I am too young to do much. But Alice Temperley was different because she took me seriously."

For his part, he says he deliberately tamed his zaniness.

"Right from the start I knew I couldn't go crazy on the style, because I knew that this was not a crazy fashion house. For instance, you can't go into Chanel and design like Gareth Pugh. You have to get your head inside the market, and that's what I did," said Brocca.

The two even discussed the possibility of Brocca's enrolling in London's Central Saint Martins College Of Art And Design.

"So far I don't have a degree in fashion and knowing that she is also from Central Saint Martins was very exciting. So getting in there is my next goal. With this internship, I feel as if I am going the right way."

A note to all interns

Alice Temperley gives her advice to aspiring fashion designers.

"Always carry a sketch pad and pencil with you, inspiration can come from anywhere at any time. Be prepared to work hard, it's a tough industry that requires hard work and determination.

"Try and get as much experience within the industry as possible and be enthusiastic. Don't try to please others creatively, you have to do what makes you happy and what inspires you."